Ch 6
Detective Taggert's car
Well so far we have been able to eliminate five people from my list. Felicia and Roy were in the bar talking. Alexis was talking to a potential client. Cason was with his new sister-in-law, Courtney. And Skye, although in the room, was to out of it to have been able to push him over the ledge. That leaves Sunny, Brenda, Jax, Carly, and Ned. God I hope it was Sunny. I would love to throw his ass behind bars. I'll find out tomorrow when we question the others if they have confirmable alibis. Hopefully Skye will remember something that will help us catch the murderer.
I pulled up her drive and came to a stop. As I got out of the car, I noticed a great deal of smoke rising from the back of the house. 'What the Hell!' I ran swiftly across the yard and around the house. Then I just stopped. My jaw dropped. I couldn't help it. The sight was so ridiculous that I started laughing.
There in the backyard sat a bed with a fire going in the middle of it. Around the bed sat an assortment of furniture that two men were busy braking down and throwing into the fire. Skye was sitting on a lawn chair up wind of the fire, laughing and directing someone she called Chris as to which of the various boxes should go on the pile next.
Chris was currently throwing men's' clothes into the fire. Jax is sure going to get a shock when he comes to pick up his stuff. From the look of things, She wasn't leaving any souvenirs of her husband behind.
"Good evening, Detective."
I jumped. Sam Gemins was directly behind me and I didn't hear him walk up again. Damn it all to hell. How does he do that? "I see that you are still here. I don't suppose that you have a license for this little bonfire." To my amazement he pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to me with a grin.
"I wouldn't dream of doing anything illegal within your jurisdiction."
I wasn't sure but I could almost swear that the man was mocking me. "How long will you be in town Mr Gemins?"
"Please, call me Sam. I am currently working on a business deal with my lady over there. Until it is concluded, I have no plans to leave. Detective, is this a social call or do you have a reason for being here?"
"I need to talk to Mrs. Jacks about last night." Sam had such a protective look on his face that at first I thought that I would have to argue with him in order to talk to here.
Sam just nodded reluctantly. "I have been expecting this. I will get Sky and we can go in the house where she can be more comfortable."
I watched as Sam walked over to Skye, picked her up and proceeded to carry her into the house. Jeeze, the way that guy is behaving, there has to be more going on between them that just friendship.
I followed Skye and Sam into the house and watched as Sam carefully placed Skye on the sofa and covered her up.
"Sam," Skye said sweetly, "could you make me some coffee? I'm sure that Detective Taggert would appreciate a cup."
As Sam left the room he said to me, "Go easy on her. She has had a hard day and she just got out of the hospital."
I looked around the room with a smile. They sure cleared this place up.
"We're redecorating." Skye commented.
I nodded. "I noticed. Have you known Mr Gemins long?"
"We went to college together."
"You seem close."
"Well we might have dated a couple of times but we are definitely good friends now."
"He says that you are doing business together."
"Skye smiled, "Any business with Sam is always interesting."
"Mrs Jacks," Skye cringed at the name, "I need to ask you some questions about Alcazar's murder."
"No offence but the last time I saw Alcazar, he was still alive. Did I kill him? No. If given the opportunity would I? After what he did to me, absolutely."
"You currently aren't a suspect. I would like to ask you some questions about last night?"
"Do I need to go downtown?"
"If you would prefer, we could do it right here."
"I'm sorry if I seem surprised. I just thought that you would want a formal statement."
"Perhaps at sometime I will. But right now, we have managed to keep any news about you out of the press. We already have a good grasp on what happened to you that night. It won't do nay good to leak to the killer that another person was there. Whether or not you remember anything, it isn't in the best interests of this investigation to make you a target."
"What do you need to know?"
"I want you to tell me what you remember last night starting from when you first saw him until whatever you last remember."
"Well, I went to Club Quiete to meet Sam for a late snack. I was early. I sat down and had some tea. Alcazar came in. I'm sorry but after that everything starts to get fuzzy."
"Take your time. Tell me anything you can remember."
"He was rubbing it in that my husband had left me for Brenda. He brought me another cup of tea. We left. I still don't know why I would leave with him. We went to his hotel room. There was someone from room service, I think. I'm sorry, but I really don't reel like talking about what happened next. I obviously won't be pressing charges. He's dead. Do you really need the details of what he did?"
"How about you skip ahead to what happened afterwards. I need to know if you remember anything about what happened between the time he was with you and when he was killed."
"He left the room."
"Your sure."
"Yes, someone was knocking at the door."
"Can you remember who? Did you hear them talk? Was it a male's or a female's voice?"
"I'm sorry, beyond the knock at the door and his leaving the room, I really don't remember."
"Okay, that will do for now. If you remember anything, any small detail; I want you to call me."
I heard Sam entering the room with the coffee. Well at least the cups made some noise as they rested on the platter, even if he didn't. I would have like to ask for more, but some instinct shouted that I wouldn't get very far with Sam in the room. He seems to have assigned himself the role of her protector. Besides, the doctor said that it could take days for her to remember anything, assuming she remembers at all. Stress wasn't going to force a memory to the surface.
"My Lady, here is your coffee." Sam said.
"Thank you Sam." Skye replied.
"I have everything that I need for the moment," I declared as I stood up. "Thank you for your time and patience Mrs Jacks. Please, if you remember anything, call me."
"I will." Skye had stiffened momentarily at my last words.
"My Lady, I am going to walk the Detective to his car."
"Thank you Sam." Skye nodded.
Sam walked me out of the house.
"So have you and Skye known each other long?"
"We met in college."
"Have you always referred to Skye as your lady?"
"That's a very personal question." Sam studied me for a moment before replying. "I have only started calling her my Lady today."
"Why? Because she is suddenly available?"
"Haven't you noticed? I would have thought you would have. You seem to take note of everything else."
"Noticed what?" Wondering what it was that I could have missed.
"Whenever someone calls her Mrs. Jacks, she becomes upset. I first noticed it yesterday while a friend of mine was talking to her."
"It reminds her of her husband."
"Who is probably busy breaking every vow he ever made to her as we speak."
I admire your method of distraction." I replied while observing the smoke rising from behind the house."
Sam smiled, "destructive but effective."
As I got in my car and pulled away, I couldn't help smiling. Whenever I have ever seen Mrs Skye Chandler Quartermaine Jacks, I have been amused, annoyed, irritated, insulted and worried (especially after last night), but I have never been bored. I started laughing as I pulled out on to the road. The lady will probably send her husband the bill for redecorating that place. Damn am I glad that I'm not in her husband's shoes. _______________________________________
"So Sam," Skye said as he walked through the door. "What was that about?"
"What was what about?"
With one look Skye clearly stated that she was not amused. "You know, that don't you dare jump my claim, this is my woman act you were putting on for Detective Taggert a few minutes ago. Let me get two things straight right now. First, I'm not yours and I never will be. And secondly, I can take care of myself Sam Gemins. I managed before you walked into my life today and I will manage even better after you are gone. I don't need you to march in here and start acting like a macho crazed male protecting his woman."
I could tell that she was warming up to chew me out so I said the only thing that would save me from a lecture. "Your right."
"And if you think.ah.what did you say?"
I haven't been married for five years without learning a few things. "You are right."
Skye just stood there for a moment, mouth open, starring at me like I had come from another planet. "I can not have heard that right. I must make an appointment to have my hearing checked."
"Skye you heard correctly. I acted overly possessive and it obviously made you uncomfortable. I didn't discuss acting like the heavy-handed boyfriend before hand like I told you that I would. I'm sorry."
"I can't believe it." Skye looked stunned.
"No one has ever told me that I was right before." I wasn't sure if Skye was going to start laughing or crying.
"What do they usually say when you confront someone for something they did that was out of line?"
"I'm ungrateful for not appreciating their method of handling things. Let me see. Spoiled, insecure brat, a mistake. That I'm wrong and they're right. Stop complaining. They're handling it, usually in such a way that I'm screwed over. Hell my husband said that he was sick of dealing with my insecurities."
"First of all, there is nothing wrong with making sure that another person understands that their solution made you uncomfortable in some way. This is your life, not theirs and if their solution hurts you then it was the wrong one. You have every right to get angry. As for your husband, I haven't seen or heard anything about him yet that I approve of. I mean, he ran out on his marriage for a woman who has been fucking another man for the last nine months."
Everything in Skye's stature stiffened and focused on me. "Four years."
"Four years what?"
"Brenda claims that she has been with Alcazar for the last four years. The doctor that Jax talked to told him that Alcazar paid him off to tell her that she was sick four years ago."
Sam shook his head. "No. Alcazar only meet Brenda nine months ago. He did take her to the clinic occasionally but she was already a regular patient there."
"So Alcazar couldn't have paid off the doctor four years ago because they never meet."
"I highly doubt that Jax talked to Brenda's doctor."
"Why?"
"I heard of that clinic when people at the office talked about Brenda's involvement with Alcazar. It has a non-disclosure policy. The patient has to sign release papers giving the doctors permission to disclose their medical information before they will talk to that person. This non- disclosure includes family, husband, kids or whoever is paying the bill. So even Alcazar couldn't get that information."
"So either Brenda knew and signed the papers because she wanted Jax to find out or that wasn't the real doctor."
"Exactly."
"If Jax didn't talk to the real doctor, I'm guessing that I didn't talk to a real nurse either." Skye started laughing.
"What?"
"I'm back to the question that started this entire mess."
"And that would be?"
"Is Brenda really dying or is she faking it?"
"Oh no," I could see the wheels turning in her mind.
"What?"
"Skye, you look like you have a plan."
"It isn't a plan so much as it is a goal Sam."
"This goal would be?"
"There is only one way that I will have an answer that I can trust to my question. I need to find a way to run that test again."
Detective Taggert's car
Well so far we have been able to eliminate five people from my list. Felicia and Roy were in the bar talking. Alexis was talking to a potential client. Cason was with his new sister-in-law, Courtney. And Skye, although in the room, was to out of it to have been able to push him over the ledge. That leaves Sunny, Brenda, Jax, Carly, and Ned. God I hope it was Sunny. I would love to throw his ass behind bars. I'll find out tomorrow when we question the others if they have confirmable alibis. Hopefully Skye will remember something that will help us catch the murderer.
I pulled up her drive and came to a stop. As I got out of the car, I noticed a great deal of smoke rising from the back of the house. 'What the Hell!' I ran swiftly across the yard and around the house. Then I just stopped. My jaw dropped. I couldn't help it. The sight was so ridiculous that I started laughing.
There in the backyard sat a bed with a fire going in the middle of it. Around the bed sat an assortment of furniture that two men were busy braking down and throwing into the fire. Skye was sitting on a lawn chair up wind of the fire, laughing and directing someone she called Chris as to which of the various boxes should go on the pile next.
Chris was currently throwing men's' clothes into the fire. Jax is sure going to get a shock when he comes to pick up his stuff. From the look of things, She wasn't leaving any souvenirs of her husband behind.
"Good evening, Detective."
I jumped. Sam Gemins was directly behind me and I didn't hear him walk up again. Damn it all to hell. How does he do that? "I see that you are still here. I don't suppose that you have a license for this little bonfire." To my amazement he pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to me with a grin.
"I wouldn't dream of doing anything illegal within your jurisdiction."
I wasn't sure but I could almost swear that the man was mocking me. "How long will you be in town Mr Gemins?"
"Please, call me Sam. I am currently working on a business deal with my lady over there. Until it is concluded, I have no plans to leave. Detective, is this a social call or do you have a reason for being here?"
"I need to talk to Mrs. Jacks about last night." Sam had such a protective look on his face that at first I thought that I would have to argue with him in order to talk to here.
Sam just nodded reluctantly. "I have been expecting this. I will get Sky and we can go in the house where she can be more comfortable."
I watched as Sam walked over to Skye, picked her up and proceeded to carry her into the house. Jeeze, the way that guy is behaving, there has to be more going on between them that just friendship.
I followed Skye and Sam into the house and watched as Sam carefully placed Skye on the sofa and covered her up.
"Sam," Skye said sweetly, "could you make me some coffee? I'm sure that Detective Taggert would appreciate a cup."
As Sam left the room he said to me, "Go easy on her. She has had a hard day and she just got out of the hospital."
I looked around the room with a smile. They sure cleared this place up.
"We're redecorating." Skye commented.
I nodded. "I noticed. Have you known Mr Gemins long?"
"We went to college together."
"You seem close."
"Well we might have dated a couple of times but we are definitely good friends now."
"He says that you are doing business together."
"Skye smiled, "Any business with Sam is always interesting."
"Mrs Jacks," Skye cringed at the name, "I need to ask you some questions about Alcazar's murder."
"No offence but the last time I saw Alcazar, he was still alive. Did I kill him? No. If given the opportunity would I? After what he did to me, absolutely."
"You currently aren't a suspect. I would like to ask you some questions about last night?"
"Do I need to go downtown?"
"If you would prefer, we could do it right here."
"I'm sorry if I seem surprised. I just thought that you would want a formal statement."
"Perhaps at sometime I will. But right now, we have managed to keep any news about you out of the press. We already have a good grasp on what happened to you that night. It won't do nay good to leak to the killer that another person was there. Whether or not you remember anything, it isn't in the best interests of this investigation to make you a target."
"What do you need to know?"
"I want you to tell me what you remember last night starting from when you first saw him until whatever you last remember."
"Well, I went to Club Quiete to meet Sam for a late snack. I was early. I sat down and had some tea. Alcazar came in. I'm sorry but after that everything starts to get fuzzy."
"Take your time. Tell me anything you can remember."
"He was rubbing it in that my husband had left me for Brenda. He brought me another cup of tea. We left. I still don't know why I would leave with him. We went to his hotel room. There was someone from room service, I think. I'm sorry, but I really don't reel like talking about what happened next. I obviously won't be pressing charges. He's dead. Do you really need the details of what he did?"
"How about you skip ahead to what happened afterwards. I need to know if you remember anything about what happened between the time he was with you and when he was killed."
"He left the room."
"Your sure."
"Yes, someone was knocking at the door."
"Can you remember who? Did you hear them talk? Was it a male's or a female's voice?"
"I'm sorry, beyond the knock at the door and his leaving the room, I really don't remember."
"Okay, that will do for now. If you remember anything, any small detail; I want you to call me."
I heard Sam entering the room with the coffee. Well at least the cups made some noise as they rested on the platter, even if he didn't. I would have like to ask for more, but some instinct shouted that I wouldn't get very far with Sam in the room. He seems to have assigned himself the role of her protector. Besides, the doctor said that it could take days for her to remember anything, assuming she remembers at all. Stress wasn't going to force a memory to the surface.
"My Lady, here is your coffee." Sam said.
"Thank you Sam." Skye replied.
"I have everything that I need for the moment," I declared as I stood up. "Thank you for your time and patience Mrs Jacks. Please, if you remember anything, call me."
"I will." Skye had stiffened momentarily at my last words.
"My Lady, I am going to walk the Detective to his car."
"Thank you Sam." Skye nodded.
Sam walked me out of the house.
"So have you and Skye known each other long?"
"We met in college."
"Have you always referred to Skye as your lady?"
"That's a very personal question." Sam studied me for a moment before replying. "I have only started calling her my Lady today."
"Why? Because she is suddenly available?"
"Haven't you noticed? I would have thought you would have. You seem to take note of everything else."
"Noticed what?" Wondering what it was that I could have missed.
"Whenever someone calls her Mrs. Jacks, she becomes upset. I first noticed it yesterday while a friend of mine was talking to her."
"It reminds her of her husband."
"Who is probably busy breaking every vow he ever made to her as we speak."
I admire your method of distraction." I replied while observing the smoke rising from behind the house."
Sam smiled, "destructive but effective."
As I got in my car and pulled away, I couldn't help smiling. Whenever I have ever seen Mrs Skye Chandler Quartermaine Jacks, I have been amused, annoyed, irritated, insulted and worried (especially after last night), but I have never been bored. I started laughing as I pulled out on to the road. The lady will probably send her husband the bill for redecorating that place. Damn am I glad that I'm not in her husband's shoes. _______________________________________
"So Sam," Skye said as he walked through the door. "What was that about?"
"What was what about?"
With one look Skye clearly stated that she was not amused. "You know, that don't you dare jump my claim, this is my woman act you were putting on for Detective Taggert a few minutes ago. Let me get two things straight right now. First, I'm not yours and I never will be. And secondly, I can take care of myself Sam Gemins. I managed before you walked into my life today and I will manage even better after you are gone. I don't need you to march in here and start acting like a macho crazed male protecting his woman."
I could tell that she was warming up to chew me out so I said the only thing that would save me from a lecture. "Your right."
"And if you think.ah.what did you say?"
I haven't been married for five years without learning a few things. "You are right."
Skye just stood there for a moment, mouth open, starring at me like I had come from another planet. "I can not have heard that right. I must make an appointment to have my hearing checked."
"Skye you heard correctly. I acted overly possessive and it obviously made you uncomfortable. I didn't discuss acting like the heavy-handed boyfriend before hand like I told you that I would. I'm sorry."
"I can't believe it." Skye looked stunned.
"No one has ever told me that I was right before." I wasn't sure if Skye was going to start laughing or crying.
"What do they usually say when you confront someone for something they did that was out of line?"
"I'm ungrateful for not appreciating their method of handling things. Let me see. Spoiled, insecure brat, a mistake. That I'm wrong and they're right. Stop complaining. They're handling it, usually in such a way that I'm screwed over. Hell my husband said that he was sick of dealing with my insecurities."
"First of all, there is nothing wrong with making sure that another person understands that their solution made you uncomfortable in some way. This is your life, not theirs and if their solution hurts you then it was the wrong one. You have every right to get angry. As for your husband, I haven't seen or heard anything about him yet that I approve of. I mean, he ran out on his marriage for a woman who has been fucking another man for the last nine months."
Everything in Skye's stature stiffened and focused on me. "Four years."
"Four years what?"
"Brenda claims that she has been with Alcazar for the last four years. The doctor that Jax talked to told him that Alcazar paid him off to tell her that she was sick four years ago."
Sam shook his head. "No. Alcazar only meet Brenda nine months ago. He did take her to the clinic occasionally but she was already a regular patient there."
"So Alcazar couldn't have paid off the doctor four years ago because they never meet."
"I highly doubt that Jax talked to Brenda's doctor."
"Why?"
"I heard of that clinic when people at the office talked about Brenda's involvement with Alcazar. It has a non-disclosure policy. The patient has to sign release papers giving the doctors permission to disclose their medical information before they will talk to that person. This non- disclosure includes family, husband, kids or whoever is paying the bill. So even Alcazar couldn't get that information."
"So either Brenda knew and signed the papers because she wanted Jax to find out or that wasn't the real doctor."
"Exactly."
"If Jax didn't talk to the real doctor, I'm guessing that I didn't talk to a real nurse either." Skye started laughing.
"What?"
"I'm back to the question that started this entire mess."
"And that would be?"
"Is Brenda really dying or is she faking it?"
"Oh no," I could see the wheels turning in her mind.
"What?"
"Skye, you look like you have a plan."
"It isn't a plan so much as it is a goal Sam."
"This goal would be?"
"There is only one way that I will have an answer that I can trust to my question. I need to find a way to run that test again."
